El mundo de Sofía (book), by Jostein Gaarder: summary, analysis and characters

Sofia's world (1991) is a novel written by Jostein Gaarder. This work tries to answer transcendental questions such as: Who are we? Why are we here? Is there free will or are we determined by destiny?

These are just some of the questions with which the author invites the reader to reflect, by At the same time that he attends an unbeatable philosophy course through the eyes of Sofia, his protagonist.

Sofia's world resume

Sofia is a young Norwegian who is about to turn 15 years old. One day, upon returning from school, she finds in the mailbox a note in which she can read: "Who are you?"

This is the first letter of the many that she receives. This is how the young woman begins a distance philosophy course taught by a mysterious professor, Alberto Knox. On the other hand, she also receives postcards destined for a mysterious girl named Hilde whose return address is Albert Knag, her father.

The myths and philosophers of nature

Sofía begins the philosophy course although she, at first, she does not know the identity of her teacher.

The first lesson she receives is about how myths arose. The first humans alluded to them to explain natural phenomena.

Later, the so-called "philosophers of nature" appeared, who tried to give an explanation about the world and put in evidence the prevailing mythological beliefs.

Ancient philosophy

The following lessons addressed by the teacher are related to ancient philosophy.

Meanwhile, the young Sofia discovers the true identity of Alberto Knox and she also comes across a red Hilde scarf.

To learn about the philosophy of antiquity, Alberto tells him about Socrates and his famous phrase “I only know that I know nothing”.

Another day, Sofia receives a lesson on Plato, his theory of ideas and the myth of the cave through a video tape in which the teacher walks the streets of ancient Athens.

Later, Sofía takes a walk through the woods and comes across the “elder's cabin”, and discovers that this is the house of her philosophy teacher. She there she sees a mirror whose reflection winks back at her.

Finally, the young woman takes the last class in ancient philosophy and learns about Aristotle.

Philosophy in the Middle Ages

For a few days, Sofía does not receive letters from Alberto and decides to go with her friend to the cabin in the forest. There they find postcards for Hilde. When they leave, the young woman takes the mirror to her house.

The next appointment with the professor of philosophy takes place in a church. She there she learns that during the Middle Ages the influence of religion on philosophy was notorious. The young woman discovers philosophers like Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas, who ended up "twinning" philosophy and religion.

Modern philosophy

The teacher goes on to explain to Sofia the key figures of the Renaissance and the Baroque. Also, the dualistic philosophy of Descartes and his famous phrase "I think therefore I am". She later continues with the philosophy of Spinoza, who believed that God had created the laws of nature that govern what man can do.

Afterward, she tells him about Locke and his "clean slate" theory, also about David Hume and George Berkerley, who thought that humans only exist in the mind of a "creator god."

Alberto makes Sofia understand that they are fictional characters from a novel that Albert Knag has written for his daughter Hilde.

Contemporary philosophy

Albert Knag, who is on a business trip, sends his daughter a book called Sofia's world as a birthday present. Ella hilde begins to read it and becomes obsessed with the story to such an extent that she loses track of time.

At one point in the novel, Sofia dreams of Hilde and her crucifix. Later Hilde looks for the crucifix and realizes that she is not there. This fact makes him wonder if Sofia really exists and not only in the history of her father.

In the novel, Sofia continues to receive classes in philosophy and alludes to the period of the Enlightenment, also to Kant and his desire to unify empirical and rational thought.

The birthday party and outcome

On the night of Sofia's birthday they organize a party in the garden of her house. There a series of absurd events take place. Alberto and Sofía try to escape Albert Knag's control and disappear.

When Albert returns from a trip he tells his daughter about his latest philosophy lesson while they are sitting on a dock. There he tells her about the Big Bang and the creation of the universe. Meanwhile, Sofia tries to intervene in Hilde's world.

Philosophers appearing in Sofia's world

The novel is a chronological journey through the history of Western philosophy.

Thus, this book becomes a new opportunity for those who considered philosophy impossible. As the protagonist evolves and becomes more confident, readers learn about philosophy and its importance in the world.

Below, you can see an outline of the philosophers who appear in Sofia's world.

Analysis of the book

One of the questions it poses to the reader is precisely the fine line that exists between fiction and reality. In what way does the author even make us consider our own existence?

Thanks to metafiction, to the creation of a novel within a novel. Sofía considers its existence at the moment in which she discovers that it can only be part of the imagination of another person, Albert Knag.

How important is philosophy?

This is undoubtedly one of the most important questions that this book leaves us. Jostein Gaarder proposes philosophy as the fundamental way to understand life, the one that it helps us understand the origin of all things, the world around us, the place we occupy in he.

Like Sofia, we have sometimes had the feeling that philosophy is not taught well at school and that other subjects are even given more importance.

This book hides a deep criticism of educational systems that do not give the importance they should to more complex questions, the study of which could be the same or more interesting than other current subjects.

The only thing we need to become good philosophers is the capacity for wonder.

Sometimes education systems focus on developing routine activities that sap creativity and imagination. The main objective is to pass the evaluation through written tests. Where, then, is the student's capacity for wonder?

Self-knowledge

The first question Sofía receives in one of the notes is "who are you?" Immediately, the reader is also subjected to this question.

And it is that, like the protagonist, we think we know who we are. However, what Sofía does not know is that she is a character created by Hilde's father, a character in turn from Gaarder, for the latter to learn philosophy.

Little by little, as Sofia investigates who Hilde is, she discovers herself as a character. It is only at this moment, when she knows her identity, that she deduces that self-knowledge is the only way to freedom and the search for truth.

Destiny

One of the subjects under study for some philosophers was destiny. It is also a primary theme in this book.

Are we conditioned by destiny or controlled by a higher being? Do we act freely?

We can reflect on this question and object to the different positions that philosophers took on this issue. But there is a fundamental consideration that Gaarder offers us: What if, like Sofia, we are a character whose actions are previously established or we are like computers previously scheduled?

Women in the history of philosophy

Why have women who have contributed to the history of thought not had enough impact or are they not mentioned in philosophy manuals?

An interesting theme in the book is the role that women have played in the history of philosophy.

In different chapters Alberto Knox refers to the fact that in history women have been "repressed as a thinking being due to her sex." Criticizes that women were treated as beings whose main function was to conceive.

Symbols and metaphors of the book

Sofia in philosophy

The choice of Sofia's name for the protagonist of this book is not accidental. If we look at the Greek etymology of the word, Sofia (Σoφíα) means wisdom.

Sophia was also the Greek goddess of wisdom. The term philosophy itself derives from the Greek root φιλος (philos = love) and σοφός (sophos = wisdom). Which means "love of wisdom."

Thus, what Sofia symbolizes and what awakens in her throughout this book is "love", precisely, to knowledge.

Spring

Spring is the season between winter and summer, it is often associated with change, renewal. For the Renaissance, spring was a metaphor for the origin of life.

In this novel, the context is framed in this season that, associated with the period of puberty that the protagonist experiences, takes on a symbolic character. A period of transformation and personal change, of growth. In short, a renewal that goes from the naivete of a child to the wisdom of an adult.

The hedge and the garden of Eden

In this maturing process, Sofía continues to go to a place where she can preserve her innocence. Like a child who has a secret hiding place, the young woman accesses that place through a hedge at the end of the garden of her house.

For Sofia, that "alley" is the closest thing to paradise, just as she imagined the Garden of Eden described in Genesis would be.

During childhood, it is very common for children to live in a fantasy world, which they later lose in adulthood.

Thus, we can understand the garden as a place of protection for childhood in which Sofia can release the pressure that she has to grow and lose her naivety.

The white rabbit

In the book there is a metaphor related to the old trick of the white rabbit suddenly emerging from the magician's black hat.

For Gaarder, the world is the white rabbit. Generally, the adults hide in the rabbit's fur and remain, in some way, alien to the world. However, she makes a comparison between philosophers and children, who are superior to rabbit hair.

With this explanation, the idea is maintained that philosophers and children are prepared to know the world around them, because they are able to look into the eyes of the magician. That is, they are curious to answer questions about life.

Mirror

The mirror is a direct allusion to the novel Alice through the mirror by Lewis Carroll. In the case of the book Sofia's world, the mirror serves to unite the two protagonists, it is like a "portal" that merges two parallel worlds, Hilde's and Sofía's, through her reflection.

Main characters

• Sofia: She is a Norwegian girl who is about to turn 15 years old. She is a lonely and curious girl, she likes to reflect to know the world around her. As the novel progresses we discover that, in reality, Sofia is a character created by Albert Knag.
• Hilde: Like Sofia, Hilde is a young woman who is also about to turn 15 years old. Her father Albert hers sends him the first part of Sofia's story. The girl is very similar to Sofia, she likes to be alone and the world around her arouses her curiosity. Her rebellious spirit makes her want to find answers through philosophy.
• Alberto Knox: He is the philosopher who teaches Sofia throughout the entire novel. He symbolizes the figure of the "perfect" teacher, whose task is to guide her student and show her the world through the history of philosophy. She makes the young woman not stop asking herself questions and questioning the world around her without taking everything for granted.
• Albert knag: He is Hilde's father, his job prevents him from spending the time he would like with her daughter. So he decides to send her letters about Sofia so that her daughter can learn philosophy.

Jostein Gaarder Biography

He is a Norwegian writer author of the book Sofia's world, one of his most successful novels worldwide since its publication in 1991.

He studied Scandinavian languages ​​and theology, he was also a professor of philosophy. He began his literary career as a writer of children's stories.

In the early 1990s, he won the Norwegian National Prize for Literary Criticism, later also the European Prize for Young People's Literature. Sofia's world It was the recognition of him worldwide, since the work was translated into more than 40 languages ​​and became an authentic best seller.

Movie Sofia's world

In 1999, the Norwegian director Erik Gustavson made the adaptation of the book Sofia's world by Jostein Gaarder.

The film is an adventure drama starring actress Silje Storstein, with a duration of 114 minutes, it aims to capture the most important events of the novel.

If you already enjoyed the novel, here you can see the trailer of the film Sofia's world.

If you liked this article you can also read:

• Plato's Cave Myth
• I only know that I know nothing
• man is a political animal
• Know yourself
• A life without exam is not worth living
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland